Diablo II Resurrected: Four Essential Rune Words to Craft During the Early Game

Feb-21-2024

 

Diablo II Resurrected is a timeless classic game that continues to captivate a large number of players, both old and new. For those who are returning after a hiatus or for beginners, the process of starting anew involves what's known as "farming" for certain items. Here are a few low-level Rune Words that are essential for beginners to create.

 

1) Stealth

The chest armor Rune Word "Stealth" is a must-have for early-game farming. The Rune sequence is 7#+5#, and it's best to choose a 2-socket white/gray quality chest armor with a low strength requirement. These types of base items are easy to farm, and if you can't find them, you can purchase them directly from Charsi, the blacksmith in Act I. Keep refreshing the room, and you should be able to buy one.

 

Before you get a better chest armor, you can use it from normal difficulty all the way to Hell. You can also switch to a base item with better primary attributes along the way. Both your character and your minions can use it.

 

 

 

2) Spirit

One of the most useful Rune Words, the base item can be a white or gray quality 4-socket sword/shield. Classes that require magic output or skill level stacking can start with a "Spirit Sword." The Rune sequence is 7#+10#+9#+11#. The base item for the "Spirit Sword" is relatively easy to farm, and you can make several if you have extra Runes and base items.

 

Apart from the Paladin-specific shield, the 4-socket shield without class requirements, "Unity Shield," can only be farmed in Hell difficulty. Getting your first "Unity Shield" during the farming phase can be quite a test of skill and luck.

 

 

 

3) Rhyme

Before you craft a "Spirit Shield," you can make a slightly easier-to-acquire Rune Word "Rhyme." The base item should be a white/gray quality shield, which can also be purchased from Charsi in Act I. The Rune sequence is 13#+5#. However, Rune 13 can be quite rare in the early stages of farming.

 

All the attributes are practical, including block, resistance, immunity to freezing, and Magic Find. It's useful in Nightmare difficulty and early Hell, and it can also serve as a secondary shield for Magic Find characters.

 

 

 

4) Insight

When you finally farm your first Rune 12, it's highly recommended to create an "Insight" for the second act mercenary. It's one of the best Rune Words, with the base item being a 4-socket white/gray quality polearm (invisible is preferable for Mephisto's weapon). The Rune sequence is 8#+3#+7#+12#.

 

The "Insight" not only significantly increases the mercenary's damage but also provides the "Meditation Auras" that enhances mana regeneration for all nearby characters, greatly improving sustainability during the farming phase. Rune 12 can also be used to create the "Knowledge" helmet, which is commonly used by magic-using classes in the early game.

 

 

These low-level Runes aren't too hard to farm in the early stages. You can run the Secret Cow Level in normal difficulty multiple times. If you're unlucky, just collect some low-level Runes and slowly combine them. Additionally, the Countess in Act I can drop Runes, with the maximum Runes she can drop in normal, Nightmare, and Hell difficulties being 8#, 18#, and 28# respectively. Some mid to low-level Runes can also be obtained from the Countess.

 

The above is a guide and equipment introduction for Diablo II Resurrected Edition.